Chandelier
by bambi1994
Summary: An alternate ending to Imperfect Harmony where Henry stays and deals with his feelings regarding Eliza.


A/N: Hi, well this basically came about after I watched Imperfect Harmony multiple times and had a lot of feelings and wished things could've gone differently between these two. Alas it didn't, but that's what fic is for haha. Anyways, I hope you guys really like this because I adore these two and I'm still hoping it'll get picked up for more episodes if we have any luck!

He couldn't bring himself to tell Eliza the truth. The truth that he had broken up with Julia. He was still in shock himself, but not enough to go run after her. That's how he found himself still at the karaoke party instead of downstairs with Julia.

There was no way she actually had feelings for him, he repeated to himself. People like Eliza Dooley never fell for people like Henry Higgs, and that was just life. Even if he had feelings for her — that he kept pushing down with each sip of alcohol — there was no way it could work between them. They were too different, and if they broke up it would ruin their friendship they had been kindling for months now.

Henry looked out onto the floor, seeing Eliza up on the stage. He didn't know that she had actually stuck around to sing her song, and Henry wasn't sure what hurt more. It was a tie between the ripping feeling in his chest and hearing Eliza's voice crack as she sang her song. It was the most vulnerable he had seen her, and that made it harder for him to ignore her and his bubbling feelings.

He took a swig from his beer, trying to sort out his feelings. The more she sang, the more emotions were starting to show through Eliza's cracks. Henry couldn't take it, he wasn't sure of anything anymore. Julia was the safe option, but here, with Eliza near him, he felt more alive than he had during his relationship with Julia. Watching Eliza getting sloshed — a term she would be proud of him using in a different situation — just made everything feel more complicated and confusing.

When she got off the stage and people began to surround her, Henry couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want anybody else but himself to touch Eliza, screw his timid nature. He was going to finally do what he wanted to do earlier, but was too afraid to do.

Pushing his way past his drunk coworkers was easier than he thought, and he was soon within touching distance of Eliza.

"Eliza," he called out.

She turned around, and his heart swelled.

"Henry! You're still here," she said.

Henry noticed her trying to wipe away the few tears on her face, her mask slipping, before she smiled at him like she normally would.

"We need to talk."

"We can do it right here!"

"No, we need to do it in private."

Eliza shook her head, "No, I don't want to be alone with you right now."

"Eliza, I think you need to hear this. Just—"

"No, you don't have any right to—"

He stopped listening at that point and grabbed her wrist to drag her out of the loud karaoke room. They couldn't do this here, not when all their coworkers were surrounding them. The closest place would be his office, and that'd have to do for now.

"Henry, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Henry ignored Eliza's protests, knowing this was what he needed to do.

"Doing something I should've done last night."

She stopped struggling after he said that, and when they were safely inside his office Henry let go of her arm.

"Why aren't you with Julia?"

"I don't know," he replied. Henry didn't know what he was even doing, some force was leading his body and he was along for the ride.

"Did she break up with you?"

He paused, " Yes."

"Oh."

"Yeah, do you know why?"

Eliza shook her head. Henry didn't know the answer himself, but he knew it had something to do with the redhead in front of him. He walked over to her slowly, and pinned her against the door. Her eyes looked bigger than usual in this position, Henry noted. He also noted that it was probably one of his favorite looks on her, and when the hell did he start keeping a tally of that.

Henry took in a deep breath, "You drive me crazy, Eliza. I want to rip my hair out sometimes, but I enjoy seeing you every day. All the antics you pull almost cause aneurysms, but I still keep coming back for more. I can't explain it, and I should've taken your feelings seriously when you confessed them."

"Yeah, too little too late, Henry I—"

"Eliza, stop, you need to hear this." She nodded her head, dumbfounded, and he took that a sign to continue. "I know that was a big step for you, especially after your epiphany with Freddy, but I was too blind and afraid to take notice. I wanted to follow you off of that elevator, but I couldn't because of that fear." He paused again, trying to find the right words. "I've always taken the safe and comfortable path, so this is new and scary, and—"

"You're so stupid Henry," she said, capturing his lips.

Henry's eyes bugged for a moment before they closed and he leaned into the kiss. This was nothing like when he kissed Julia — or any other woman before — that passion had been missing. The tingles and heat that went down to his groin and made it nearly impossible for him to keep his hands off of her. He satisfied that animalistic urge by submerging his hands in her red locks.

They pulled away to catch their breath, and Henry wasn't sure if he was going to be able to do that quickly. Even with her hair all mussed and dressed in her pajamas, Eliza still looked beautiful in the dim light in his office.

"So. Stupid. Henry," she said while she pecked his face.

He felt a few wet trails follow after Eliza's pecks, and he realized that she was crying.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm here now," he said.

Henry felt her nod against him, pressing her body into his, and a hiss escaped from his mouth. He couldn't believe how good she felt against him, and he pressed back against her.

"Henry, I need you. Right now," she whispered.

"Are you sure, you're still very drunk and I'm not taking adva—"

"Oh my god, Henry shut up. I may be drunk, but I can tell you I for sure want this."

Her hands wrapped themselves around his waist in a tight hug, and that was enough confirmation for Henry. This was uncharted territory, but he was willing to venture into it if it meant that Eliza was going to be there too.

He unhooked his fingers from her hair and ghosted them over her body. He soon found the hem of her oversized shirt and slipped his hands inside. She gasped at the touch, and Henry shyed away for a moment.

"Keep, touching me," she panted.

Henry nodded, moving his hands up to her bra. He brushed past the edge of the fabric where it met her ribcage, and Eliza gasped again.

"Shit, let me get this out of the way," she said, pulling away from him.

As fast as humanly possible, Eliza had taken off her shirt and was now standing in front of him. It was sight Henry had never thought of — okay, it was once in a passing fantasy that he pushed away as quickly as it had appeared — and it was the most beautiful thing. Her pale skin glowed in the moonlight and he wanted to touch every inch of it.

His fingers were back to trailing over her moonlit skin, and he crashed his lips into hers. Their kiss was rougher than before, needier, and a clashing of teeth and tangling of tongues. He soon felt the edge of her bra after trailing his fingers up her back, and he unhooked it and allowed the piece of clothing to droop around her upper torso.

She pulled away again, chucking the fabric somewhere in the dark office. "Not fair," she muttered.

Henry was confused as to what she was talking about until her hot, little hands were tugging his tie off. He got the idea quickly enough, and helped her undress himself. Soon his own shirt and tie joined her t-shirt and bra on the floor. The feeling of her skin flush against his own felt far better than he could've ever imagined, and again he wanted to feel every expanse of it.

Before he was able to move his hands, Eliza took control and moved his hands for him to rest on her breasts. She gasped when he squeezed lightly, and ground herself against his crotch. Another hiss slipped past, and he couldn't take it. He dropped his hands from her breasts to her waist and guided her over to his desk.

He thanked whatever God shined down upon them for giving him the idea of cleaning his desk off earlier, otherwise he'd have to do that cheesy move everybody did in the movies where they scattered their papers.

"Henry, stop thinking about work things. I need you," she said.

Her remark didn't even faze him, she really did know him better than he thought she did. He placed feather light kisses along her pale neck, making a path to her right breast. His lips danced around her nipple, teasing her, until he couldn't resist the noises she was making, and took the pert nipple into his mouth.

The delicious gasp that she made egged him on, making him feel edgier than he ever had in any past relationship, and he allowed his hands to move down her curves and to the top of her shorts. His fingers hooked beneath her shorts and panties, and he pulled them down to her knees while still giving her breast attention.

"Shit, Henry, stop teasing," she gasped.

He smirked, he didn't think he'd ever have this reaction coming from Eliza, let alone be in this situation. Henry pulled away from her breast, trailing kisses down her stomach to the top of her vagina.

"Henry, you don't—"

"No, I want to," he said against her skin. The situation kept pulling his body into doing things he normally wouldn't, but it didn't feel as uncomfortable as he thought it would.

He placed his hands on her hips before he pressed his lips against her folds. She was already heavily wet, and he wanted to gather every last drop he could. The small gasps he heard from Eliza as he poked and prodded between her folds gave him the encouragement he needed to keep doing what he was doing.

A loud gasp came out of her body when Henry brushed past her clit with his nose, and Henry knew exactly where he needed to focus his attention. He moved his mouth up, lapping up her leaking fluids along the way, until he felt the small bud against his tongue.

"Henry," she gasped as his tongue ran around her clit.

He continued his ministrations until she was gasping and he could feel her trying to buck against his hands as he held her in place. Each passing over her clit grew faster and stronger the more Eliza gasped and panted for breath, and Henry couldn't believe that he was the source for causing Eliza to do so.

Soon he felt her muscles clench around where he was giving her attention, and he knew she was close to cumming. Instead of continuing, he pulled away to remove his own pants. He hadn't realized how hard he had actually gotten until he started to mess with taking his pants off.

"Who knew you could be a tease, Henry," she said with a smirk, chest heaving.

Henry smiled at her, dropping his pants and boxers to the ground as fast as he could.

"Condom?" he asked.

"In my bag," Eliza said, pointing over to where her bag had been discarded.

He nodded and went to retrieve the silver packet from her bag. It didn't take him long, thankfully she didn't have too many items in her purse, and he returned soon enough.

"You're sure you want this?" he asked, unwrapping the condom and sliding it onto his member.

"More than that time I waited for the newest iPhone."

There was the Eliza he knew. Henry nodded in response before slipping inside of her, releasing a groan as he did. Her heat felt good around him, and he couldn't believe he had pushed her away. Not that she wasn't a good person that he'd come to like, no love was the right word, he thought, but this was a great bonus to that aspect.

"Henry, move," Eliza instructed, squirming a bit beneath him.

Heeding to her request, Henry moved his hips, and both moaned. His movements picked up in pace — he could take it slow another time, right now he needed to feel all of her — and he slipped his hands beneath her back to pull her up flush against his body. Their new position allowed Henry to press his lips again against Eliza's, and he kissed her like she was going to dissipate into the air.

"So, close," she breathed between kisses.

Henry was close as well, he could feel his stomach clenching in anticipation, so he moved one of his hands between Eliza's legs to find her clit again. When she gasped, he knew he had found it. A few more thrusts inside of her and he felt her muscles clenching, and that threw him over the edge just as she followed right behind him.

Both of them stayed close to each other, neither moving from their position.

"You sure you're okay with this, what we just did?"

"Totally. You don't have to keep asking me, Henry. The answer's going to be the same. Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Okay with this."

"Yeah."

"Good."

He pulled her closer to his body, if that was possible, and tucked her head under his chin. It was the beginning of something unfamiliar, but if Eliza was there to help guide him, Henry knew he'd be okay.


End file.
